Backlink Checker & Domain Authority Guide
Learn how to check your backlinks and domain authority using free tools. Monitor your link profile.
About Backlink Checker
While we cannot directly query live backlink data, this guide directs you to the best free tools to check your backlinks and domain authority.
About this reference
A guide to checking your backlinks and domain authority with free tools such as Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and other free checkers, plus what to look for.
This page explains the method; it does not crawl the web itself.
How to use it
- Open Google Search Console and go to Links.
- Review top linking sites and top linked pages.
- Use the Open Tools button for more free checkers.
What makes a good backlink
A backlink is a link to your site from another site. Quality matters more than quantity: relevant, editorial links from trusted sites help; paid, spammy or irrelevant links can hurt. Domain Authority (Moz) and Domain Rating (Ahrefs) are third-party scores, not Google metrics. Google's own tool, Search Console, shows links to your site for free.
Worked example
Good vs bad
| Good | A news article citing your research |
| Neutral | A directory listing |
| Bad | Paid link networks and comment spam |
Tips and common mistakes
- Earn links with useful, original content.
- Disavow only truly toxic links.
- Check your top linked pages for broken URLs.
- Don't buy links.
- Track new links monthly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a backlink?
A link from another website to yours.
Are all backlinks good?
No, quality and relevance matter.
What is domain authority?
A third-party score predicting ranking strength.
How do I check backlinks free?
Google Search Console.
Should I disavow?
Rarely, only for clear spam.
Is it free?
Yes.